Overhead railway

ABSTRACT

An overhead railway system wherein a car body is suspended from a plurality of bogie trucks traveling in a boxlike beam having a longitudinally extending slot in its lower face. The trucks are supported and propelled by a plurality of pneumatic tried wheels in running engagement with horizontal tracks defined by the upper surfaces of the flanges adjacent to the slot. High-speed operation is improved by reducing the tire load while maintaining adequate tire adherence for propulsion and braking. This is achieved by means of air cushion members supported by the trucks and arranged so that their lower faces are substantially parallel to the horizontal tracks. Alternatively the lifting force may be provided by magnetic members secured to the trucks and acting against either the horizontal track or the upper surface of the boxlike beam.

UnitedS tates Patent Inventor Lucin Felix Chadenson Paris, France Appl.No. 719,370 Filed Apr. 8, 1968 Patented Feb. 2, 1971 Assignec SaiegeTransport Paris, France a company of France Priority Apr. 10, 1967France 102,1 10 1 526,158

OVERHEAD RAILWAY 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 104/89, 104/23 Int. Cl B611) 3/00, B60v l/OO Field of Search104/89,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,168,875 2/1965 Reedl04/23(FS) 3,225,228 12/ 1965 Roshala l04/23(FS) Pn'mary Examiner-ArthurL. La Point Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Attorneys-Frank L.Neuhauser and Walter C. Bemkopf ABSTRACT: An overhead railway systemwherein a car body is suspended from a plurality of bogie truckstraveling in a boxlike beam having a longitudinally extending slot inits lower face. The trucks are supported and propelled by a plurality ofpneumatic tired Wheels in running engagement with horizontal tracksdefined by the upper surfaces of the flanges adjacent to the slot.High-speed operation is improved by reducing the tire load whilemaintaining adequate tire adherence for propulsion and braking. This isachieved by means of air cushion members supported by the trucks andarranged so that their lower faces are substantially parallel to thehorizontal tracks. Alternatively the lifting force may be provided bymagnetic members secured to the trucks and acting against either thehorizontal track or the upper surface of the boxlike beam.

PATENTEUFEBZIQH 7 $559,583

- INVENT LUCIEN FELIX CHADEN N AZr/@6 P/ HIS ATTORNEY OVERHEAD RAILWAYThe track of this" railway system normally running well above the groundconsists of a box-sectioned beam in which the bogie trucks or trolleysare caused toroll, a longitudinal slot being provided centrally of thelower portion of the beam to permit the passage of the suspensionmembers interconnecting the bogie trucks and the car bodies.

It is the object of the present invention to widen the field ofoperation of overhead railway systems of this character by permittingthe high-speed operation thereof, for example above 125 mph. or 200km.p.h. without departing from the use of wheels equipped with pneumatictires for propelling and supporting the trains.

At these relatively high speeds the loads consistent with a normaluseful tire life and adapted to be supported by each type of the carrierwheels are but only one fractiondecreasing with the speed-of the loadvalue normally admitted in the case of considerably lower speeds.

Thus, the unitary load of pneumatic tires can be halves by equippingeach carrier axle with paired wheels, as disclosed in the first one ofthe aforesaid patents No. l ,072,538.

The unitary load of pneumatic tires may also be reduced by increasingthe number of axles per bogie truck, in combination or not with theabove proposition concerning the paired wheels.

It is the essential object of the present invention to provide anoverhead railway system adapted to be operated at relatively highspeeds, above 125 mph. or 200 km.p.h., while main taining the use ofpneumatic tires for supporting and propelling the train, by reducing theunitary tire load, this railway system being characterized in that itcomprises other carrier means than said tires wheels for supporting onefraction of the load which the wheels would not be capable of supportingwithout showing an abnormal and premature tire wear, at the high-speedvalues contemplated.

However, the loads thus reduced at high speeds, which are stillsupported by the carrier wheels, must necessarily be sufficient topermit the proper braking of these carrier wheels in spite of the lossof wheel adherence at high speeds.

Similarly, the'loads thus reduced at high speeds, which are stillsupported by the driving wheels must also be sufficient to permit anadequate drive through the driving axles alone, in spite of a loss ofadherence and the increased drag at high speeds.

The other supporting means mentioned hereinabove may notably consist ofair cushions directed against the tracks, attractive or repulsivemagnetic fields built up between the tracks and the cars, and moreparticularly the bogie trucks thereof, fairing means capable at thespeeds contemplated to impart thereto the whole or part of the necessarylift, and more generally any adequate device capable of imparting to therailway vehicles the additional lifl required at these higher speeds,these various means being used separately or in combination, if desired.

According to another feature characterizing the present invention, theaction produced by the suitable lift means broadly set forth hereinaboveis responsive to the load and speed parameters of the vehicles, so as tobe limited at any time to the proper value and cause at a given speedthe necessary reduction in the load supported by the carrier tires whilemaintaining the wheel adherence necessary for propelling and braking thecars.

In order to afford a clearer understanding of this invention a typicalform of embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational and diagrammatic view of an overheadrailway system to which the present invention is ap plicable;

FIG. 2 is a cross section showing on a larger scale a bogie truck andthe box-sectioned beam constituting the track therefor; and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section of the track, with thebogie truck and the means for suspending a car therefrom.

The overhead railway system outlined in FIG. 1 comprises, as alreadyexplained in the aforesaid former patents of the same applicant, a trackconsisting of a continuous series of sections I supported by gantries orposts 2 having their lower ends embedded in base blocks 3 disposed atspaced intervals in the underlying ground; the train cars or vehicles 4are supported by suspension members 5 secured to bogie trucks 6 rollinginside the track consisting of said track section 1.

These track sections 1 consist of box-sectioned beams comprising asshown in FIG. 2 lateral opposite L-sectioned members 7, 8 of which thehorizontal flanges 9, 10 constitute with their upper faces l1, 12 thetracks proper for the carrier wheels 13 of the vehicle trucks 6. Thesewheels, paired or not are equipped with pneumatic tires.

The bogie trucks 6 of the vehicles comprise a frame in which axles 14are mounted. At either end of each frame guide wheels 15 are mounted forfree rotation about vertical axes and engage the inner, substantiallyvertical surfaces of the aforesaid L-sectioned members 7, 8 in order tokeep the bogie truck centered on its track. These guide wheels 15 arealso fitted with pneumatic tires.

Supporting shoes 16 are secured by means of arms 17 to the frame of thebogie trucks, with or without the interposition of resilient pads.

These supporting shoes, of which the lower face is parallel to the uppersurfaces 11 and 12 of the track supporting the carrier wheels 13, may beprovided with adequate means for creating air cushions between saidshoes and said upper surfaces 11, 12, whereby, due to the forced flow ofa fluid under controlled pressure conditions, a certain lift isproduced; these shoes 16 may alternately consist of magnetic platesproducing the same lift action by repulsive magnetic reaction withrespect to said upper surfaces 11 and 12 provided with adequate electricmeans.

Another possible form of embodiment consists in mounting these magneticsupporting shoes on the upper portion of the bogie truck and causing amutual attraction between said shoes and metal strips connected toadequate electric means and secured at 18 to the roof or upper innersurface of the box-sectioned beam 1, parallel to the upper surfaces 11and 12 of the track receiving the carrier wheels 13.

If these supporting shoes are disposed under the bogie trucks, they canbe equipped or not with safety rollers 19 adapted for example to engagethe corresponding upper track surfaces 11 and 12 in the occurrenceeither of a failure in the supporting system or of an excessive overloadof the vehicle, another possible cause of abnormal operation in whichthese rollers constitute safety elements being a puncture or a loss ofair pressure in the tires of the corresponding carrier wheels 13, or areduction in the load supporting capacity of said tires in case ofabnormally high speeds.

Of course, the specific form of embodiment of the present inventionwhich is described hereinabove with reference to the accompanyingdrawing is given by way of example only and should not be construed aslimiting the present invention, since many modifications and variationsmay be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

Thus, notably, additional lift may be produced by using the fairing ofthe bogie trucks, fins mounted on the vehicle bodies and retractable ornot therein, and the fairing of the vehicle bodies themselves. Theabove-mentioned truck fairing further advantageous in that it provides aconvenient means for producing a forced ventilation and an efficienttire cooling effect; besides, the air flow produced by air cushions mayalso be used for the same purpose.

Iclaim:

1. in an overhead railway system having an elevated boxsectioned beamcomprising a roof and opposed L-sectioned members terminating inhorizontal flanges defining a longitudinal slot. a plurality of bogietrucks adapted to travel longitudinally within said beam, and a car bodysuspended below said beam and secured to said trucks by a plurality ofsuspension members extending through said slot, the combinationcomprising:

a. a plurality of wheels secured on the lateral sides of the truck forrotation about a horizontal axis;

b. each of said wheels bearing pneumatic tires maintained in runningengagement with the upper surfaces of said horizontal flanges;

c. means for driving and braking a plurality of said wheels whereby saidwheels provide propulsion and braking of said bogie truck duringoperation;

(I. a plurality of shoe members secured to said bogie truck;

e. said shoe members having lower faces arranged to be adjacent andsubstantially parallel to the upper surfaces of said horizontal flangesand providing a lifting force between said shoe members and the uppersurfaces of said horizontal flanges proportioned to reduce the load onsaid tires at high-speed operation while maintaining adequate wheelloading to provide propulsion and braking of said truck by means of saidtires.

2. The arrangement set forth in claim 1, wherein said shoe membersproduce an air cushion directed against the upper surfaces of saidhorizontal flanges.

3. The arrangement set forth in claim 1, wherein said shoe memberscomprise magnetic means for generating a magnetic field between saidshoe and the upper surfaces of said horizontal flanges.

4. The arrangement set forth in claim I wherein said shoe members areequipped with safety rollers adapted to engage the upper surfaces ofsaid horizontal flanges under predetermined conditions, such as systemoverload.

5. In an overhead railway system having an elevated boxsectioned beamcomprising a roof and opposed L-sectioned members terminating inhorizontal flanges defining a longitudinal slot, a plurality of bogietrucks adapted to travel longitudinally within said beam and a car bodysuspended below said beam and secured to said trucks by a plurality ofsuspension members extending through said slot, the combinationcomprising:

a. a plurality of wheels secured on the lateral sides of the truck forrotation about a horizontal axis;

b. each of said wheels bearing pneumatic tires maintained in runningengagement with the upper surfaces of said horizontal flanges;

c. means for driving and breaking a plurality of said wheels, wherebysaid wheels provide propulsion and braking of said bogie truck duringoperation:

d. metallic members secured to the interior surface of the roof of saidbox beam;

e. means for causing mutual magnetic attraction between said aforesaidmembers proportioned to reduce the load on said tires at high-speedoperation while maintaining adequate wheel loading to provide propulsionand braking of said truck by means of said tires.

United States Patent Office CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 1 9, 83Dated -V 2- 9 Inventom) n Felix Chadens on It is certified that errorappears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent arehe: corrected as shown below:

Inventor's name in heading "Lucin" should read Lucien--;

In the ClaimsColumn 4, Line 19 reading c. means for driving and"breaking" should read c. means for driving and --braking-.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of May 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FI ETCHER, JR. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR. Attesting OfficerCommissioner of Patents

1. In an overhead railway system having an elevated boxsectioned beamcomprising a roof and opposed L-sectioned members terminating inhorizontal flanges defining a longitudinal slot, a plurality of bogietrucks adapted to travel longitudinally within said beam, and a car bodysuspended below said beam and secured to said trucks by a plurality ofsuspension members extending through said slot, the combinationcomprising: a. a plurality of wheels secured on the lateral sides of thetruck for rotation about a horizontal axis; b. each of said wheelsbearing pneumatic tires maintained in running engagement with the uppersurfaces of said horizontal flanges; c. means for driving and braking aplurality of said wheels whereby said wheels provide propulsion andbraking of said bogie truck during operation; d. a plurality of shoemembers secured to said bogie truck; e. said shoe members having lowerfaces arranged to be adjacent and substantially parallel to the uppersurfaces of said horizontal flanges and providing a lifting forcebetween said shoe members and the upper surfaces of said horizontalflanges proportioned to reduce the load on said tires at high-speedoperation while maintaining adequate wheel loading to provide propulsionand braking of said truck by means of said tires.
 2. The arrangement setforth in claim 1, wherein said shoe members produce an air cushiondirected against the upper surfaces of said horizontal flanges.
 3. Thearrangement set forth in claim 1, wherein said shoe members comprisemagnetic means for generating a magnetic field between said shoe and theupper surfaces of said horizontal flanges.
 4. The arrangement set forthin claim 1 wherein said shoe members are equipped with safety rollersadapted to engage the upper surfaces of said horizontal flanges underpredetermined conditions, such as system overload.
 5. In an overheadrailway system having an elevated box-sectioned beam comprising a roofand opposed L-sectioned members terminating in horizontal flangesdefining a longitudinal slot, a plurality of bogie trucks adapted totravel longitudinally within said beam and a car body suspended belowsaid beam and secured to said trucks by a plurality of suspensionmembers extending through said slot, the combination comprising: a. aplurality of wheels secured on the lateral sides of the truck forrotation about a horizontal axis; b. each of said wheels bearingpneumatic tires maintained in running engagement with the upper surfacesoF said horizontal flanges; c. means for driving and breaking aplurality of said wheels, whereby said wheels provide propulsion andbraking of said bogie truck during operation: d. metallic memberssecured to the interior surface of the roof of said box beam; e. meansfor causing mutual magnetic attraction between said aforesaid membersproportioned to reduce the load on said tires at high-speed operationwhile maintaining adequate wheel loading to provide propulsion andbraking of said truck by means of said tires.